Hey, everyone! Been awhile since I posted a review. 

 

I bought this combo in the 3000 size with 7' rod awhile ago and recently took it to 2 fishing trips in Florida this month. The first trip was mostly fresh water on the Atlantic side and the second was at Steinhatchee for trout, reds, and anything else we got into while fishing.

 

Reel: There are numerous reviews on the BG reels and they are everything others have said they are. I do wish the reel brought in more line per crank, but the drag is smooth, the reel casts a great distance, and the reel handled several days in saltwater fighting trouts and reds all day long. Impressed, and want a larger one for tarpon. I had this reel (3000 series) spooled with 15 pound braid and a 20 pound leader.

 

Rod: I figured the rod would be cheap, and not very sensitive, but I was surprised at the quality. For it a medium fast rod (rated for 1/4-1oz lures) built for saltwater, it was light and comfortable. Was the rod $100+ quality sensitive? No. I'd say this rod is on par with $75 rods. In fresh water I fished mostly wacky rigs and No Live Bait Needed jigs, both jigging and swimming them. Fishing the wacky rig really showed how insensitive this rod is, but for moving baits and jigging, the rod was sufficient. When it came to casting, I felt like the rod did fine casting and matched the ability of the BG well. When it came to fighting fish, the rod flexed well and kept fish pinned. The rod had plenty of backbone for the 3-5 pound bass, trout around 20", reds around 24-30", and catfish I caught. For as little as I fish with this heavy of a setup, I think this rod will be just fine. 

 

Combo as a Whole: Fishing with the combo all day was comfortable. I'm used to lighter setups on my bait casters and spinning combos, but I didn't feel fatigued after fishing hard all day each day, and even fished more when not with our guide. The combo balanced well and didn't feel too tip or butt heavy. I do wish the rod was a 7'6" to give more casting distance and control over fish. Daiwa should give options, but I also understand why they don't, for ease of manufacturing/selling. If I ever go fishing in saltwater more than 2-3 times a year than I do now or fishing for stripers in GA, I'll look at replacing the rod with something longer and more sensitive. For local bass, I'll use my Fuego LT and Tatula 7' MF setup but keep this one on hand as a backup or extra setup for taking a friend fishing with me.

Would I recommend this? For the price, I'd recommend this combo to someone wanting a quality combo for around $150. It's hard to beat the BG reel at that price point, and getting a rod for a few dollars more that is sufficient, is quite the deal. I look forward to using this setup again in November when I'm back in Florida and targeting snook and other inshore fish.

4/5 stars

@Ryanralston07 If you want to step up to a better inshore rod, check out these brands:

Bull Bay

Fitzgerald 

Crowder E series

Falcon Clearwater

@little giant

I cannot replace this IM6 Crowder E Series Lite - I've tried - compared to every other rod, I can count the fish increase.  

  

2 hours ago, little giant said:

@Ryanralston07 If you want to step up to a better inshore rod, check out these brands:

Bull Bay

Fitzgerald 

Crowder E series

Falcon Clearwater

Thanks for the recommendations!